Classical Spies

  Bryn Mawr Archaeologists

 with the OSS 

in World War II Greece

April 11, 2013

4:00-5:30

Carpenter Library, Room B21

Bryn Mawr College

A Public Lecture by Susan Heuck Allen

Susan Heuck Allen’s book Classical Spies (2011) recounts the archaeologist-led secret U.S. intelligence service in Nazi-occupied World War II Greece. Based in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Egypt, and Turkey, this network drew on the scholars’ personal contacts and knowledge of languages and terrain and involved such pursuits as burying Athenian dig records in an Egyptian tomb, activating prep school connections to establish spies code-named Vulture and Chickadee, and organizing parachute drops.  Dr. Allen conducted extensive in-person interviews, shadowed spies, and sleuthed in archives on three continents to piece together the first insider account of the “extracurricular” activities of her professors’ generation during and after the War.  

 In this presentation, Dr. Allen focuses on the prominent role that scholars connected to Bryn Mawr College played in this endeavor, including such figures as Virginia Grace, Margaret Crosby, Dorothy Hanna Cox, Lily Ross Taylor, and Hetty Goldman, individuals who broke new ground for women both in their disciplines and – as this talk reveals - beyond.

Dr. Allen earned an AB in History from Smith College and an MA and PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Cincinnati and Brown University respectively. She has swum the Hellespont and excavated in Cyprus, Israel, Turkey, and Greece. A visiting scholar in the Department of Classics at Brown University, Allen has taught at Yale University and Smith College and currently teaches in the Department of History, Philosophy, and Social Science at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Our final lecture of the academic year is coming up in April!

Join us on April 18th, 2013 for Dr. Andrea Berlin's A Tale of Two Peoples: Phoenicians and Jews in the Land Beyond the River.

 

Dr. Berlin is the Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of
Archaeology in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies
at the University of Minnesota. A specialist in the archaeology of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, she received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and has taught at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and the University of Virginia. Her work has taken her to Turkey (Troy), Cyprus (Nicosia), Egypt (Coptos), and Israel, where she is currently co-director of the excavations at Tel Kedesh.

Dr. Berlin reports on six seasons of excavation at Tel Kedesh, the largest mound in Israel's Upper Galilee, a region inhabited in antiquity by both Jews and Phoenicians. There she and her team have uncovered an enormous commercial and administrative building constructed in the later sixth century BCE and used for the next 350 years. Over this span of time the region was ruled in succession by the Persian Empire followed by the Greek kingdoms of Egypt and Syria. The large complex at Kedesh offers a unique opportunity to understand local response to changing patterns of interaction between these imperial powers, their provincial administrators, and local elites. Both Phoenicians and Jews played starring roles in the life of the administrative building at Kedesh, and this lecture brings their character and interactions to life.

Discoveries include gemstone and glass signet seals that show the local Phoenician embrace of Persian styles; store rooms with jars containing an experimental strain of wheat; reception rooms and dishes reflecting rural knowledge of cosmopolitan lifestyles; a rare archive with over 2000 clay bullae (seal impressions) depicting Greek and Phoenician deities as well as symbols and images used by elite individuals; and an enormous, solid gold coin - the largest and earliest ever found in Israel - whose appearance at Kedesh allows us a bird's-eye view of power diplomacy in the early second century BCE. 

Details:

Thursday, April 18th
Classroom 2
Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia
Use the Kress Entrance (at the east, the closest to the South St. Bridge)
Time: 6:15 pm 

Please email us if you are interested in dining with our speaker after the talk. 
 

Our current society officers will continue their positions for 2013-4, but as always, anyone interested in helping us with our Society's activities can email us at aiaphiladelphia at gmail.com!

Recommended Local Exhibition:

MUST SEE:

Fabulous Ancient Roman Mosaic from Israel 

Makes Final U.S. Stop at the 

Penn Museum

February 10—May 19, 2013

Details about the mosaic, its discovery, history, conservation, and presentation, can be found online: Full details

Please contact the museum for details including opening day activities at Penn Lodi link (or see info below) 

A large and exceptionally well-preserved ancient Roman floor mosaic, discovered in Lod, Israel, in 1996, and excavated in 2009, makes its final United States stop at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.  This mosaic is a major, colorful work of art.  An ancient  mosaic of this quality is not normally to be seen in the US. 

About the Exhibition
In 1996, workmen widening a road in Lod (formerly Lydda), Israel, discovered a mosaic floor approximately 50 feet long by 27 feet wide of exceptional quality and in an excellent state of preservation.

The mosaic floor is believed to come from the home of a wealthy Roman living in the Eastern Roman Empire about at 300 CE. Because the mosaic's imagery has no overt religious content, it cannot be determined whether the owner was a pagan, a Jew, or a Christian.

The exhibition features the three most complete and impressive panels.  The central panel seen above—which measures 13 feet square—depicts various birds, fish, and animals that surround a larger octagonal scene with ferocious wild animals—a lion and lioness, an elephant, a giraffe, a rhinoceros, a tiger, and a bull.  Such animals appeared at gladiatorial games and hunts in the arena, where they were pitted either against each other or against human adversaries. It is indeed possible that the owner of the house was involved in the capture and trade of exotic animals for the games.

Flanking the central panel to the north and south are two smaller panels various similar creatures and a single marine scene, complete with two Roman merchant ships. None of the mosaics contain human figures.

Lod is located near Tel Aviv. Its name appears in a list of towns in Canaan that was compiled during the reign of the pharaoh Thutmose III (1479–1425 BCE)—and also in the Old and New Testaments. In the 1st century CE, the inhabitants of Lod were sold into slavery and subsequently the town was razed. A Roman colony under the name of Diospolis (City of Zeus) was established there in 200 CE.

The exhibition Unearthing a Masterpiece relates both the history of the discovery and the story of the mosaic, its painstaking removal and conservation, told in original text, as well as a video.

Penn Museum (the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2012, is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Museum has sent more than 400 archaeological and anthropological expeditions to all the inhabited continents of the world. With an active exhibition schedule and educational programming for children and adults, the Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.
 
Penn Museum is located at 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (on Penn's campus, across from Franklin Field). Public transportation to the Museum is available via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line at University City Station; the Market-Frankford Subway Line at 34th Street Station; trolley routes 11, 13, 34, and 36; and bus routes 12, 21, 30, 40, and 42. Museum hours are Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Wednesday, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, with P.M. @ PENN MUSEUM evening programs offered select Wednesdays. Closed Mondays and holidays. Admission donation is $12 for adults; $10 for senior citizens (65 and above); $10 for U.S. Military; $8 for children (6 to 17) and full-time students with ID; free to Members, PennCard holders, and children 5 and younger; "pay-what-you-want" the last hour before closing. Hot and cold meals and light refreshments are offered to visitors with or without Museum admission in The Pepper Mill Café; the Museum Shop and Pyramid Shop for Children offer a wide selection of gifts, books, games, clothing and jewelry. Penn Museum can be found on the web at www.penn.museum. For general information call 215.898.4000. For group tour information call 215.746.8183.

LECTURE - JANUARY 17, 2013
Secret of the Great Pyramid

Thurs., January 17
Rainey Auditorium (note change from earlier announcements)
University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19104.  Use the Kress Entrance (at the east)
Time: 6:15 pm

Bob Brier, CW Post - Long Island University

 

Dr. Bob Brier has worked in Egypt for more than 30 years, and is one

of the world's foremost authorities on mummies. Dr. Brier's previous
projects include the reconstruction of an Egyptian nobleman's tomb
for the Hillwood Art Museum at C.W. Post, and the research of ancient
Egyptian mummification techniques.  Author of numerous books,
including "The Murder of Tutankhamen" (1998), he has collaborated on
several television specials and series.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the unsolved mysteries of all
time. Egyptologists simply do not know how ancient builders raised
thousands of 2-ton blocks to the top of a 480-foot pyramid. This
lecture presents a radical new theory and the recently discovered
evidence for it. Working with French architect Jean Pierre Houdin,
Dr. Brier uncovered a room 275 feet up the pyramid never mentioned in
Egyptological literature. Recently, Houdin was also able to
demonstrate that the Great Pyramid cracked as it was being built and
pinpoint precisely when and why. This illustrated lecture presents
the new internal ramp theory and the evidence for it, including the
first photographs of the room high up on the pyramid's northeast
corner.

This research was the subject of a recent National Geographic Channel TV special and Dr. Brier will be signing copies of his new book “Secrets of the Great Pyramid” (Smithsonian Press: 2008).

Event update: Indiana Jones Day at the Penn Museum

Thank you again to everyone who came to our first lecture of the year! Don't forget that this Saturday, the Penn Museum hosts Indiana Jones Day:

Guests to Indiana Jones Day can join in a What in the World? game show; hear real archaeology adventure stories from a world-traveling National Geographic archaeologist; take part in a hands-on program using archaeology to solve a mystery; and even touch a real ancient mummy (without a curse!). Kids and families can take a literal “run in Indy’s footsteps” in an outdoor obstacle course, make Indy-inspired arts and crafts, follow a scavenger hunt for (not so) hidden treasures, and try movie-inspired cuisine (monkey brains, anyone?).

AIA Philadelphia is a co-sponsor of this event, so please come and say hello! Details about admission (including a discount for those donning Indiana Jones apparel) and event times can be found on the Penn Museum's website. We are pleased to once again take part in National Archaeology Day; the details of other local archaeology events celebrating National Archaeology Day can be found on the website, along with the virtual Scavenger Hunt.

Events for 2012-2013

Welcome back! We have an excellent series of speakers and events planned for the coming year, and we look forward seeing members both old and new. If you'd like to be added to our chapter's email list, please let us know at aiaphiladelphia (at) gmail.com so that we can send you updates on our programs. We are also pleased to announce that AIA Philadelphia has a new president: Robert Sutton, Professor Emeritus of IUPUI.

 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Christina Luke, Boston University, presents the Nancy Wilke Lecture in Archaeological Heritage: From Columns to Corridors: An American Legacy in Restoration and Cultural Policy Abroad 

Where: Classroom 2, University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA. Use the Kress Entrance (at the east)
Time: 6:15 pm

This event is co-sponsored by the Penn Cultural Heritage Center. The restoration and presentation of archaeological monuments abroad has been an enduring cultural legacy of U.S. institutions for over a century. In this lecture, Luke will explore the cultural diplomacy aspects of restoration projects at Tikal (Guatemala), Abu Simbel (Egypt) and Bath-gymnasium at Sardis (Turkey). These projects set the stage for not only the foundations of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but also the contemporary policies that advocate for cultural corridors, heritage routes that provide the backbone for cultural tourism and proactive, global governance that promotes sustainable development.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

National Archaeology Day 

Where: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Time: Afternoon, starting at 1 pm

 Join us at the Penn Museum for National Archaeology Day, a family event with dig sites, games, lectures and more! Free with Museum admission. For more information, call 215.898.2680.


January 17th - 6:15 pm 

Dr. Robert Brier presents Secret of the Great Pyramid: How one man's obsession may have led to solving one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of our time. 

Details: To be announced.


April 18th

Dr. Andrea Berlin A Tale of Two Peoples: Phoenicians and Jews in the Land Beyond the River (Tel Kadesh) 

Time: 6:15 pm


And of course...

Don't forget to register for the AIA/APA Annual Meeting!

114th AIA and APA Joint Annual Meeting January 3-6, 2013 Seattle, WA
Early Bird Registration ends November 16th. Click here to register.

Events for 2011-2012

AIA Philadelphia 2011-12 Events

National Archaeology Day

Reception in Bryn Mawr College Collections

October 20, 2011, (Thursday), 6pm
Thomas Hall, 3rd Floor, Bryn Mawr College

To celebrate National Archaeology Day, Bryn Mawr is hosting a reception in Collections. Join us for drinks and snacks while learning more about the fascinating range of objects on display in this archaeological collection. Please be advised that RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED for this event due to limited space. Also note that it is not handicap-accessible and that all coats and bags must be left outside the collection. Please leave any valuables at home or in your car. RSVP at: aiaphiladelphia@gmail.com



Dr. Jenifer Neils, Joukowsky Lecture

“The Parthenon and Periklean Politics”

November 3, 2011 (Thursday), 6pm
Lecture at Bryn Mawr College, Carpenter Library B21. Reception to follow in London Room, Thomas Hall



Dr. Ann-Marie Knoblauch

“Dionysos and Willy Wonka, Wine and Chocolate”

February 2, 2012 (Thursday), 6pm
Lecture at the Penn Museum, Rainey Auditorium. Reception to follow in the Mosaic Hall



Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay Lewis, Oliver Lecture

“The Gardens of the Emperor: Exploring and Reconstructing the Gardens of Hadrian's Villa”

April 9, 2012 (Monday), 6pm
Lecture at the Penn Museum, Rainey Auditorium. Reception to follow in the Mosaic Hall